Tamariki hard at work sanding down the new shelf
The idea of a give-away shelf at Ranui Kindergarten was born early in our Enviroschools journey some years ago and fitted in with the kindergarten’s philosophy and culture.
But a recent review indicated that the shelf itself was looking tired and wasn’t fit for purpose. The shelf was open to the elements, and food items in particular, couldn’t be safely stored. A suitable replacement was found at another kindergarten, but it needed some serious refurbishment. A team of tamariki sanded the cupboard down, before a whānau working bee primed the cupboard – ready for tamariki to redecorate it. After their magic touch, we had a beautifully decorated, up-cycled cupboard shelf ready to be filled.
Now, an assortment of food items (both tinned and fresh), used clothing, books and magazines can be attractively displayed (see banner pic). Then after-hours, the cupboard can be closed, keeping all items safe overnight.
The give-away shelf has been relocated to a new spot in the kindergarten and is now gaining a lot more attention. We have noticed whānau stopping daily and checking to see what is on display.
Moving forward, we would like to see an increase in the “giving” part of the give-away shelf, where whānau feel they can freely contribute any unused items to the shelf or share excess fresh produce.
Much of the current food items are excess from our KidsCan lunch programme. In future we would like to include recipes from the lunch programme, which will give whānau direction on how to include such food items as lentils and red kidney beans in their menus.
Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi – With your basket and my basket, the people will live
Bevan and colleagues reflecting on their give-away shelf journey through an Enviroschools lens
Story provided by Bevan Simpson, Ranui Kindergarten, Kindergartens South